MIAMI, FLORIDA – JANUARY 15: Head coach Erik Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat look on against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half at FTX Arena on January 15, 2022 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
Chris Paul has had the worst luck in playoff games refereed by Scott Foster, and last night his luck did not change. The Chris Paul, Scott Foster playoff curse continues. Last night, Paul added another loss for playoff games he has been in that were refereed by Scott Foster. The New Orleans Pelicans beat the
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Of all the shocking trends we’ve seen so far in the first round of the playoffs (and there have been more than a few) the New Orleans Pelicans splitting
7:08 PM ET Phoenix Suns All-Star guard Devin Booker is progressing on a return soon, possibly for Game 6 on Thursday or a potential Game 7 on Saturday in the franchise’s Western Conference first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, sources told ESPN. Booker has made significant progress with his strained right hamstring in
The Milwaukee Bucks will look to close out their first round series with the Chicago Bulls with a Game 5 win on Wednesday, Apr. 27. The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to win back-to-back NBA titles. Their first road block of accomplishing that goal came in the form of their rivals, the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks
Apr 21, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) talks to fans during a gamne against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter during game one of the three round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports 11 best viral tweets from Timberwolves historic collapse
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE – APRIL 26: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
10:35 AM ET Jamal CollierESPN Chicago Bulls guards Zach LaVine (health and safety protocols) and Alex Caruso (concussion protocol) will both miss Game 5 on Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls were hoping either player’s health would approve ahead of their win-or-go-home game in Milwaukee, but they downgraded both guards on their injury
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports The 2021-22 NBA regular season has come and gone, but who are the players that led each team in total dunks? And which teams had the most and the least amount of dunks? The NBA’s 75th Anniversary season featured 11,111 total dunks that occurred in 1,230 regular-season games. After counting down the
Ja Morant’s heroics led the Memphis Grizzlies to a huge Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. That caught the attention of LeBron James and NFL stars. The Memphis Grizzlies hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5, searching to take a pivotal 3-2 series lead. Things certainly looked bleak for Memphis, as they trailed 85-74
DETROIT, MICHIGAN – APRIL 08: Khris Middleton #22 of the Milwaukee Bucks handles the ball against the Detroit Pistons during the third quarter at Little Caesars Arena on April 08, 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
The Chicago Bulls look to take a 2-1 series lead over the division rival Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Friday night. After stealing Game 2 on the road, the Chicago Bulls are hoping to keep the positive momentum in their direction when they host the Central Division rival Milwaukee Bucks on Friday
10:20 PM ET MIAMI — The Heat were missing two of their starters yet hardly missed a beat in Tuesday’s 97-94 Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks to advance to the second round. With Kyle Lowry sidelined since late in the third quarter of Game 3 with a left hamstring strain and Jimmy Butler
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Last week on The Whiteboard, I began the annual exercise of examining the offensive style of each team using the same NBA offensive style charts I’ve been building for
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade is clearly supporting Jimmy Butler in the playoffs with a ringing endorsement of his 3-point shot. The Miami Heat are currently on a hot streak to open up the NBA Playoffs, boasting a 2-0 record over the Atlanta Hawks. Yet no player shines quite as brightly as Jimmy Butler, who
Game 5 of the Heat vs. Hawks NBA Playoffs series is on tap with Miami one victory away from advancing and Atlanta holding on for dear life. While Atlanta didn’t get the two victories they needed on their home floor, they got the one they needed to push things back to Miami. Now, Game 5
4:00 PM ET MIAMI — Heat star Jimmy Butler has been ruled out of Game 5 of Miami’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks because of right knee inflammation, the team announced on Tuesday afternoon about three hours before tipoff. Butler had been dominant in the series thus far, averaging 30.5 points on 54.3% shooting
When Charles Barkley called Kevin Durant a “bus rider” on NBA championship teams, Durant said it all with photos of Barkley’s own former teams. Criticism deserves context: only the greatest players in NBA history have the right to call out fellow players if their game is lacking. Though Charles Barkley is absolutely qualified to comment
Ja Morant trolled the Minnesota Timberwolves following the Memphis Grizzlies’ epic Game 3 comeback victory. The Minnesota Timberwolves had to be feeling well entering the fourth quarter, as they had a 98-percent chance of winning Game 3 of their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies. Instead, they were outscored by 25 points and lost 104-95
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – APRIL 23: Patrick Beverley #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket while Desmond Bane #22 of the Memphis Grizzlies defends in the second quarter of the game during Game Four of the Western Conference First Round at Target Center on April 23, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User
8:00 AM ET NBA Insiders The first round of the playoffs is barely a week old and has already packed in plenty of intrigue. The Boston Celtics became the first team to advance to the second round when they completed a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday. If the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks win
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 23: Kevin Durant #7 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets look on in the final seconds of their 109-103 loss against the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on April 23, 2022 in New York City. The
Apr 25, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts after his offensive charge against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter in game five of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Packers targeting massive trade to get Aaron Rodgers
With news that Jay Wright is reportedly retiring at Villanova, Lakers fans were hoping he was Los Angeles bound. Insiders offered an immediate answer. Reaffirming what was already factual, Jay Wright led the Villanova Wildcats to another Final Four appearance this past season before being eliminated by the eventual national champion Kansas Jayhawks. Still, the
Shaquille O’Neal (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Pepsi Stronger Together) How different will Wimbledon look with no Russians or Belarusians? Fans call for slam boycott by Veronica Elizabeth Bruno When it comes to potentially coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal named his price. After finishing the 2021-22 season 11th-place in the Western Conference, the Los
2:10 AM ET Mike D’Antoni was watching the Brooklyn Nets‘ season-ending loss to the Boston Celtics Monday night from his living room in Austin, Texas, a world away from the drama his protégé, Nets coach Steve Nash, had just lived through. A year ago, D’Antoni had been on the Nets bench alongside Nash as the
BRAZIL – 2022/04/11: In this photo illustration, the official profile of Elon Musk on the social network Twitter. The billionaire Elon Musk bought 9% of Twitter, an investment of USD 3 billion. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Reds executive apologizes to fans weeks after the fact by Eric Treuden Athletes react
6:44 PM ET Ja Morant has been named the NBA’s most improved player after a season in which the Memphis Grizzlies point guard went from future star to superstar. In his third year, Morant was named an All-Star starter and averaged career bests of 27.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to go along with
Brooklyn Nets forward Blake Griffin (2) and guard Ben Simmons. (David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports) Caleb Love return to UNC basketball puts redemption tour into full effect by Cody Williams The Brooklyn Nets won’t have Ben Simmons in the lineup in Game 4, which means the likelihood of the injured star playing this season is
8:00 AM ET AN EIGHT- OR nine-figure subplot hovers over Jalen Brunson‘s star rise during these NBA playoffs. Brunson, the other guard the Dallas Mavericks landed in the 2018 draft, is poised to enter unrestricted free agency this summer. Suffice it to say that the price to retain his services, a priority for the Mavs,